As The Workhouse Approaches....How To Do Everything To Avoid It, the Old Style Way

jediteacher

jackieglasgow wrote: »

Jedi could you not get a prescription from the GP for milk if it is a medical need? Also, do they no longer do the healthy start vouchers, can those not be exchanged for milk? Sorry to hear your problems with the neighbours aren't easing up any, but please try to relax as much as possible, what about a pregnancy massage?

The doctor will only prescribe milk if it is a baby medical need not mine. Healthy start vouchers were stopped in the new year by the coalition government as a way of more ways to save our economy and penalise families! :mad:

Thanks for the advice. I will try and chill.

yummymummy79

jediteacher wrote: »

Healthy start vouchers were stopped in the new year by the coalition government as a way of more ways to save our economy and penalise families! :mad:

Just looked and the Healthy Start website is still up and running, and there have been changes to include more products from Apr 11 so maybe the stopping of it was just an idea?

I was planning to apply for them too so hope they are still going!
Wouldn't hurt to fill in the form and take it to midwife/docs etc and see if goes through, I will be.

ChocClare

Can't believe they're threatening still MORE increases in heating costs.

Well, yes, actually I can, what am I talking about? :rotfl: :rotfl:

Air source heat pumps are up and running in the two main downstairs rooms and I can't tell you what a difference they make, particularly in the old (ie 17th century) sitting room, which was always like sitting in a morgue in winter. I am so glad we got them in now, as it means we shan't be so reliant on oil next winter.

Plenty of wood in stock for woodburning stoves - definitely worth asking your local tree surgeon (especially the smaller ones) if they ever need to get rid of wood - I know a lot of them sell it, but many of the smaller ones haven't got room to store it so it gets seasoned, so they then have to pay to dump it. This is how we got three trees from our local chap. Once the boys (DH and DS) have chain-sawed it all up, we have an agreement that he will deliver to us every so often. FOR FREE! Like I say, well worth asking, if you've got the room to store it anywhere.

Welcome to fuddled by the way. Nice to see newbies on (and familiar faces for that matter!)

anguk

jamanda wrote: »

:eek: Last winter we managed to cut our useage a bit, which meant that we just managed to stay in credit (monthly d/d). I thought this was quite good considering prices had gone up, and have been congratulating myself since.

If prices go up appreciably again, it is unlikely that we can cut back any more. We've done all the curtain lining, warm blankets, dressing like fleecy wombles, etc. Nothing else left to try. AND our house wasn't exactly balmy.

There must be many worse off than us who are simply going to be unable to keep warm at all.

In the meantime, DH and I are wombling as much firewood as we can through the summer to help eke it out.

I feel sorry for anyone who is totally reliant on services without the benefit of "helping yourself" a bit with an open fire/wood burner. It is going to hit hard if this happens.

I live in an ex-mining village in an old miners terrace and I soooo wish that previous tenants hadn't blocked the chimney up because I would love an open fire or wood-burner to try and save on costs. Unfortunately I can't afford to open it all back up so we're stuck with gas and it's rising prices.

Lots of the houses up here still have open fires and I love the smell in the air during the colder months.

There's an article on MSE now about the price rises
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/utilities/2011/05/british-gas-hints-at-price-rise?utm_source=forum&utm_medium=sidebar&utm_campaign=box

oldtractor

I think i is increasingly importamt to grow our own food as much as possible. Foraging and keeping hens too. There is an excellent chanel 4 programme called MAke do and Mend too,its on 4OD.

purpleheather2810

Hmmm. Well we don't have a wood-burning stove and rely on gas for our heating. We did similar things to the rest of you last winter - lots of clothes (including fingerless gloves when sat at computer), tried to plug any drafts, added fleece to the backs of curtains etc. There's more we could do though and it looks like we may have to!

It's trying to thunder here - just had 2 rumblings but then nothing. Has rained heavily for the past couple of hours though (sorry GreyQueen!). DH managed to get to the allotment yesterday inbetween showers and said the weeds had really sprung up. Warm and wet is the perfect breeding ground of course!

Feeling low and sick again today. My 3 yo dd said I was emotional and helped me make a cheese sandwich for lunch. I feel awful that she's so aware of my state of mind! She doesn't miss a thing! Have a PTA meeting after school but don't know if anyone else is actually going to turn up so it might be a quick one. Then doing a candle party tonight. The money will come in handy...

jackieglasgow

jediteacher wrote: »

The doctor will only prescribe milk if it is a baby medical need not mine. Healthy start vouchers were stopped in the new year by the coalition government as a way of more ways to save our economy and penalise families! :mad:

Thanks for the advice. I will try and chill.

Surely it is a baby medical need - if you can't feed it, the poor mite would starve :eek: blinking bureaucrats!

jediteacher

jackieglasgow wrote: »

Surely it is a baby medical need - if you can't feed it, the poor mite would starve :eek: blinking bureaucrats!

You would think so! Been down this road before with my daughter - unless it is special milk (premie babies or allergies) then no help what-so-ever. We did however manage to get our daughters reflux medication on prescription! Ah well.

suzid

Hello all,
It's taken me all weekend to catch up and very informative it's been too, thank you all. The program about 'the kitchen' was fascinating, thanks charlies-aunt for the recommendation. Interesting to see the saying 'the upper crust' to describe the wealthy came from them having the upper part of the bread while the poor got the burnt bit at the bottom.

Thanks for your response GQ about your allotment. Ours are in an expensive residential area, hence the opposition. The only good thing about them being on shale is that they don't have moles, but I bet the field mice are enjoying the seeds. I couldn't ever get peas to grow in the veg plot, but seeing a field mouse by the bird feeder showed me why. Hope you get a good soaking of rain soon. Our small pond only had the deep area left and the water was a mass of tadpoles. Could still do with more rain but it's better than it was, and the big pond is doing well with lots of tadpoles in there too and it's only a year old.

Well I'd been baby bound last week as poor old DD came down with tonsillitis and had to take to her bed with antibiotics. Little DGS was such a good little chap despite having the snuffles and teething. As he's almost crawling I've been eyeing up the house thinking 'that'll have to move' and have I got plenty of string to tie up the cupboards. At least he hasn't got a brother who can shut him in the sliding pan draw like DS3 did to DS4 :eek:. It so reminded me of Carol in the Britas Empire :rotfl:, if anyone remembers it. I loved that program.

So that all delayed the replacing of the heading tape on the curtains I bought last year. 2 pairs of 90" x 90" for £42 and fully lined. Really pleased with them except the heading tape was dire and couldn't hold the weight so ended up with the hooks 2ins higher than the curtains which dangling on threads. I have to admit I was worried I'd never get the material married up the same, but it all went like a dream. I unpicked the top row and sewed on the new tape before unpicking the lower. What a relief. Then took down the heavy winter curtains and inflicted assault and battery on them on the line with an old tennis racket. It was then that I found a spiders nest in the folds :eek: Thank heavens they never hatched out.

I know people have said they have gone back to old ways of doing things, and I've found I'm definitely turning into my Gran. Every spring and autumn the house was cleaned from top to bottom and curtains changed. Everything Gran did was designed to get the most out of everything. I never had the money for two sets in the past, but I can see the sense as the heavy curtains looked like deck chairs with the sun faded stripes.

I really like the sound of lemon balm tea so will try and get a plant to replace the rosemary which died this winter. Not sure about the mint tea though as I was told to drink mint tea after surgery and can't stand it now. Whether it will be better than the packet sachets I will see as I love adding a sprig of mint to new potatoes. Bliss. Happy to say the mint is now running rampant in the herb bed after trying for years to grow the stuff and failing miserably.
Have a good day folks.

GreyQueen

VJsmum wrote: »

Erm, can i just get this straight GQ, you wash your drawers before throwing them in the bin?? :eek:

Do you dry and iron them too??;);)

Who do you think will see them:p

Hun, I won't iron them as I don't iron the ones I wear, but they will be clean and dried. Just one of my mad little ways....and jackieglasgow does the same, so it's not just me!:rotfl:

Still no sign of rain here and lots of errands to do between work and home so must get a wriggle on.

Catch up tomorrow. GQ x